Wade Graham and Triple M journalist Brent Read clashed on live radio after NSW’s 22–20 comeback win in State of Origin Game 1 was overshadowed by Kalyn Ponga’s send-off, with Read arguing the call swung the result and Graham insisting the dismissal was deserve
By the time the radio microphones were live again, the talk had already turned to the moment that shaped everything.
After New South Wales completed the biggest comeback in State of Origin history—recovering from being down 20-0 to beat Queensland 22–20—credit was still flowing for the Blues. But the victory carried a sharper edge: referee Ashley Klein sent Kalyn Ponga off.
That decision landed like a spark in the middle of a debate that quickly got heated. For fans north of the border, it was the defining blow. Queenslander Brent Read echoed the backlash, arguing Ponga’s hit on NSW winger Tolu Koula didn’t warrant him being marched for the rest of the match.
“You can’t escape the fact that game was won because Kalyn Ponga got sent off,” Read told Wade Graham on Triple M after the match.
Graham didn’t let it slide. “But he deserved to be sent off,” he replied.
Read pushed back immediately, focusing less on the referee’s decision itself and more on what it changed. “OK, whether or not he deserved it, Wade, that’s what changed the game,” he said.
The argument then moved into comparisons. Graham pointed to the similarity between Ponga’s strike on the Sea Eagles centre and former NRL star Joseph Suaali’i’s hit on Reece Walsh. an incident that saw Suaali’i sent off in Game 1 of the 2024 series. Graham said, “Suaali’i got sent off two years ago.”.
Read rejected the comparison. “You cannot compare those two. Suaali’i was horizontal when he hit Reece Walsh,” he said.
When the pair started talking over each other, the tension spiked. Graham told Read to cool it as the exchange grew louder.
“It’s a send-off, mate… calm down, buddy,” Graham said.
Read continued his criticism, taking aim at the idea that Queensland could have changed the outcome if Ponga had stayed on the field. “Queensland would have won that game last night (had Ponga not been sent off),” Read said on Thursday morning.
The radio heat didn’t stop there. Veteran former Blue Aaron Woods also joined the discussion with Read, trying to reduce it to something simpler as he stepped into the middle of the argument.
“As Billy Slater said, it is what it is, brother – you didn’t win, mate,” Woods told Read.
Even with NSW’s miracle try from James Tedesco marking the comeback story. the send-off of Ponga remained the flashpoint—turning a historic Blues win into a radio battle about whether the referee’s call was punishment or turning point. and whether comparisons to other incidents hold up under pressure.
State of Origin Wade Graham Brent Read Kalyn Ponga Tolu Koula Ashley Klein Triple M NSW vs Queensland Joseph Suaali'i Reece Walsh James Tedesco Aaron Woods